The Passion Of Two Souls
by CyborgRockStar
Summary: [RayMar, oneshot] A kitten and a beautiful mountain scene might help Ray and Mariah admit their feelings to each other. Thanks for reviewing!


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Konnichiwa, all! Welcome to my first RayMar, also my first Beyblade fic that doesn't have Kai. XD Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade; it belongs to Aoki Takao. But I do own the kitty _Koneko_. (Well, not in real life…)

**The Passion Of Two Souls**

The sun was reaching a low point in the sky, ever-nearing the horizon. Purples and pinks started mingling with the blue of the sky, as it made its slow but beautiful transformation to the velvety black of night.

Ray trekked along a mountain path in China, near his hometown, smiling with memories of this place. Many times in his past had he come to this mountain, hiked this path—be it for training or recreation.

Again, like several times that day, he started wondering what precisely Mariah had in store for him. She had invited him to come to the field they often met at for alone time—together or with the team—and had mentioned a surprise for him. He had not the slightest clue what this surprise could be, nor did he know why he was receiving it.

Ray left the path to wander into a dense patch of trees. He gracefully avoided branches, displaying his agile, elegant cat-side. After a few minutes, the trees became further apart, until eventually Ray could easily step between them.

Pushing aside a hanging vine, Ray stepped out of the scrap of forest, and found himself in the field, just as a breeze whizzed by. Smile broadening, he recalled pleasant memories of this place: times he came here with Mariah, or his other friends.

The Chinese boy calmly ambled to the center of the meadow, and made a slow 360 degree turn, taking in the lush vegetation surrounding the grassy field. He scanned the area for Mariah, wondering where his secret crush could be.

Squatting, Ray picked a small blue wildflower, and examined its tiny, delicate petals for some time. Plopping onto his rear, Ray gazed up toward the sky, watching the sun descend unhurriedly toward the horizon, as he dropped the flower.

"Ray!" came a call, from a feminine voice, pulling him from the world of thought.

Looking to his right, Ray saw Mariah scurrying toward him, something clutched protectively yet gently in her arms.

"Ray!" she called again. The boy-in-question grinned at her, viewing the way her pink ponytail bobbed up and down as she jogged.

"Hey, Mariah!" he responded, averting his amber eyes to the thing in her hands. He noticed it was a small kitten.

Mariah halted a couple feet away from Ray, who stood to greet her.

"Aw, cute kitten," he commented, staring at the little fluff-ball.

"I know!" replied Mariah. She looked up to meet his gaze. "And she's yours."

"This is my surprise?" asked Ray, enjoying the way a soft breeze was playing with Mariah's hair.

"Yep!"

Both teenagers beaming, Mariah handed Ray the kitten. It mewed unhappily at the transfer, sticking out its little claws defensively. Ignoring the claws, Ray pulled the kitten close to his body, so its head was near his shoulder and its front claws were clinging to the fabric of his shirt.

Ray admired the baby cat, taking in its form. She was small, only a few months old. About half of her right ear was white, and the rest of the kitten's entirety was black. She peered up at Ray with eyes the crisp gold of his.

"She's beautiful, Mariah," Ray remarked, stroking the kitten's head.

"Thanks."

The kitten started squirming restlessly, so Ray sat it down on the ground by his feet. Noting the abandoned blue wildflower, he picked it up and held it out.

"For you," he muttered graciously, smiling all the while.

The tiniest hint of a blush shaded Mariah's cheeks. "Thank you," she answered, taking the flower and twirling it about.

Both _neko-jins_ simultaneously sat on the ground, watching the little kitten romp about and bat at the flowers.

"What are you going to name her?" questioned Mariah, curiously turning her gaze toward Ray. She found she could not tear it away.

"Hm…." Ray appeared thoughtful as he viewed the black and white kitten, tapping his index-finger against his chin and contemplating names. "_Koneko_," he finally replied.

Blinking, Mariah asked confusedly, "What?"

"_Koneko_. It means 'kitten' in Japanese. I picked it up from Tyson."

Nodding in understanding, she looked back toward the newly-named _Koneko_. "Neat."

Ray watched silently as the kitten pranced after a grasshopper, determinedly chasing it. He kept smiling, very pleased with the tiny cat. But one thing would not escape his mind: He was sitting next to Mariah, the girl he secretly loved for countless months.

Lost in thought, Ray wondered if he should do something, say something to her. Should he insinuate his feelings? Bluntly state them? Edge into conversation on it? Make physical contact, by maybe touching her hand? Go as far as to kiss her?

Ray believed that Mariah returned his feelings and that somehow, since they mutually loved, they would slip into a romantic relationship together. But he was uncertain, for it was possible he was exaggerating her friendly gestures and turning them into actions of strong liking with his mind's eye, simply because he felt more for her.

The _neko-jin_ boy's thoughts started turning away from happiness and toward confusion and anxiety. He longed to kiss Mariah, hold her, hug her—or at least tell her how he felt. But he couldn't bring himself to decide how to and just do it.

Something soft brushed against Ray's face, startling him out of his thoughts. He started a bit, and automatically turned, only to see Mariah with a red blush tingeing her cheeks.

"S-sorry, Ray," she murmured, sheepishly turning her gaze downward, hanging her head.

Ray admired the way the setting sun reflected her hair, accenting it with some reddish tints, just as he made a subconscious decision and went into action. Gently, Ray cupped one hand around Mariah's chin, before he even knew what he was doing. Heart pounding, he lifted her head up tenderly. Their amber eyes locked for a moment, before Ray lost his nerve. Gazing downward—a bit peeved at himself—he noticed the blue wildflower gripped between Mariah's fingers, being unintentionally crushed by her nervous hand.

Ray gently pulled Mariah's fingers apart, while she watched with interest. He grasped the flower and drew his hand back. Looking her over, Ray's eyes rested on one of her ears. Softly, he placed the blue wildflower behind her ear, pushing strands of pink hair around it to hold it in place. Satisfied, he gazed back into her eyes, and read the glee and excitement in them.

And then, in a minute of beauty, of love, of passion, Ray and Mariah leaned in toward each other, eyes locked. Once their lips made contact, each closed their eyes contentedly, allowing their mouths to hug tightly.

The sun was, at this point, halfway below the horizon. It shone as a ball of orange fire, tinting the sky around it dazzling shades of red and gold. A light breeze disturbed the stillness, rustling the grass blades and flowers, and the clothing and hair of the two figures in the middle of the field.

Love hung heavily in the atmosphere, nothing mattering for interminable moments except the blissful passion of two souls. Their desires for each other, acknowledged only on the inside, were being displayed for the world to see. Nothing could go wrong, not at that moment.

About to allow their lips to separate, Mariah—now blushless—suddenly pulled back, and quickly. Startled by her abrupt departure, Ray opened his eyes, and saw Mariah gaping at her feet, a grin spread ear-to-ear on her face, which made Ray beam again.

"Sorry…_Koneko_ was rubbing against my foot," the pink-kitty-girl informed Ray, giggling. "It scared me when I felt it."

Ray now noticed the little black and white kitten, massaging itself on Mariah's foot, purring merrily. With fondness, Ray bent over and stroked the kitten. _Koneko_ jumped backwards with surprise, as she had been so immersed in her massage.

"Mew," the little cat whined, tilting its head to the side slightly in confusion.

Ray chuckled. "Sorry, _Koneko_."

A nearby butterfly caught the kitten's attention, and rapidly she forgot about the two teens and pranced off after it.

"She's so cute," muttered Ray.

"Not as cute as you," whispered Mariah, almost inaudibly, as she scooted a bit closer to Ray, now quite willing to express her affection.

"And you," Ray answered, wrapping his arm around Mariah's shoulders. She coiled her arm around his waist. Pure happiness radiated from them.

The butterfly flew about frantically, _Koneko_ in hot pursuit. The lovebirds—or maybe, love-_cats_—viewed the kitten in action, before Mariah noted the beauty of the sky.

"Wow, Ray. Look at the sky," she murmured, awestruck.

Ray gaped at the sky, watching colors spiral and clouds lazily roll.

"Gorgeous…," was his response.

A few silent moments of admiration passed, before feelings were finally stated for everyone to hear; their confession of words to the world, to each other.

"I love you, Ray," Mariah whispered, fiddling withhis long, raven ponytail, gawking at the sky.

"I love you, too, Mariah," replied the boy, glancing toward her, grinning for the umpteenth time that day. ButRay thought this was the best reason of all to smile: Love.

**End**

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Haha, love-cats. :P

Another one-shot finished! Yie!

Thank you for reading, please review!

have a nice day

CyborgRockStar


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